Should Catholics Follow OLD Modesty Rules?

Tim Staples addresses a question about the relevance of a 1928 letter on modesty written by the Cardinal Vicar of Pope Pius XI. He clarifies that while the letter contains valuable insights on the importance of modesty, it does not hold the binding authority of the Magisterium and should not be treated as a strict decree.

[tbojai]

Modesty should be honored far more than immodesty should be shamed.

[redchariots]

It's like everything our Lord wants for us. These things aren't meant to hurt you, they are meant to help you to grow and stay closer to our Lord.

[BibleBlondie]

Let’s remember that modesty is an outward expression of the inward respect we have for ourselves, rooted in the love we receive from Jesus. Modesty starts in the heart and eyes and represents a transformation from within.

[johnnotrealname]

If you want to know how bad society has gotten, I told a devout woman who goes to Mass weekly, adoration and went on Mission previously that she should not wear a mini-skirt and instead of an okay fine I got a you should not tell a woman what to wear and it is objectification. She also wears very plunging necklines. She is somehow not the worst though as there are supposed Catholics that think bikinis are okay. That is like two pieces of string. If that is what you mean by modesty then you need a check-up. So yeah women follow this advice, for your own dignity and self-respect and of course for your fellow man. Men also do likewise. Edit: Also word of advice women, men too, you do not look good when you are showing your entire body. Wear modest clothes, believe me you look pretty in them. Edit2: If you want general rules for women. Do not wear tight-fitting clothes, have sleeves preferably up to your elbow, your neckline should be above your breasts (There is a point where they split, above that.) and wear a dress/shirt so that if you bend over you are not showing your breasts to anyone ahead of you, the hemline should be lower than your knees *AND* so that if you bend or sit down it does not go up and you end up upskirting yourself. Cover everything else and you are done. Same for men but not skirts obviously.

[blakenaquin-oj]

Immodesty is more dangerous than taking the letter too seriously.

[davidcole]

I think modesty will never be monopolized or definitively defined. It's different across cultures, time and climate. I think the best we can do is "Would I wear this if Jesus was in the room?"

[MatrixRefugee]

Peter Kreeft once described modesty as a relative virtue, building off C.S. Lewis's take in Mere Christianity, where stated something to the effect that a Victorian lady buttoned up to her chin and wrists and a South Seas Island lady in a sarong are both equally modest, given their different cultures and climates.

[juans]

These are some of the warnings given to world by Our Lady of Fátima. Imodesty in dress and other fashions that much offend Her Son, Our Savior Jesus Christ. Sadly, I've seen my share even at Mass...TOTAL Disrespect.

[patriciajohnson]

Especially in summer and especially women who leaves nothing to the imagination 😢

[jessec]

Come on guys get off the fence answer the question. You answered the question in a way that people can get what they want out of it. Nothing magisterial so I can keep wearing what I want or you say modesty is a good thing so those people hear they need to dress modest. Don’t be scared of offending women. Man up.

[Sydroo]

I see some unmodest things at Latin Mass and it makes me so angry.
Anytime you go to mass or adoration you need to realize you're in front of Jesus.

[chibikeugbam]

It is scary how modesty, a virtue, has been assumed to be relative. Virtue is objective hence modesty is objective. Culture is relative to each person, but virtue is binding. Its expression can be relative but not the essence. This modesty relativism, especially by prominent Catholic theologians and philosophers, is scary. We wonder why Mass fills like a party in some areas it is because of such nonsense taking hold in Catholic discourse.

[apocryphanow]

The two fingers rule raises an important point when discussing modesty. When is someone modestly dressed? What defines modesty?

[TheGeneralGrievous]

“Thus, while the rule of chastity is the same for all Christians at all times, the rule of propriety changes. ... A girl in the Pacific islands wearing hardly any clothes and a Victorian lady completely covered in clothes might both be equally “modest, ” proper, or decent, according to the standards of their own societies: and both, for all we could tell by their dress, might be equally chaste (or equally unchaste). ... I do not think that a very strict or fussy standard of propriety is any proof of chastity or any help to it, and I therefore regard the great relaxation and simplifying of the rule which has taken place in my own lifetime as a good thing.” ~ C.S. Lewis

[AustinoM]

Went to comment and saw that Catholic Answers has rules now on YouTube for what you can and can’t post, so don’t expect to see too many critical opinions from people in the comments boxes of their videos.

[jworthington]

Go to the Word of God and let it be your final authority.

1 Timothy 2:9 likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness--with good works.

[ReturnOfGodHypothesis]

Aren't we got over that question, and on to a"should we follow any of the modestly and decency rule?"?Do we see how girls, like Lizzieanswers, dress in the Church?And that's even modest for many that i saw.

[tookie]

Woah… looks like secular culture helped the church out a bit here

[Lizzie]

Being modest was wearing a head covering at one time.